New Orleans: Three Things You Must Do If You Love Historic Homes
New Orleans is a great city for many things — but for those of us who are obsessed with interiors, architecture, and the way people actually lived in another century, it is in a rare category.
Let me share the top three things I loved from our trip there last week with family. Also, I have the comfortable walking shoes that I wore and a great Spring Pasta and Chicken recipe that Howard made. It’s Five Faves time with Annie and Cindy.
New Orleans Historic Homes
If you love classic historic homes the way I do, here are three things you absolutely must do.
1. Ride the St. Charles Streetcar for $1.25
Before you tour a single house, ride the streetcar. Board the St. Charles line, find a window seat, and ride it all the way to the end.
For exactly $1.25 — exact change, please — you get one of the great slow-travel experiences in America. The line runs the length of St. Charles Avenue through the Garden District and beyond, past block after block of antebellum mansions, live oaks draped in Spanish moss, grand porches, and iron lacework. The streetcar itself, rattling along on tracks that have been in continuous use since 1835, is part of the charm.
Look up at the houses. Let yourself fall a little in love with the proportions (I did) and the way these homes were designed to be seen from exactly where you’re sitting. And you can’t beat the price!
2. Tour the Hermann-Grima House in the French Quarter
If the streetcar ride shows you how New Orleans looked from the outside, the Hermann-Grima House at 820 St. Louis Street shows you how it felt from within.
This Federal-style townhouse, built in the 1830s for merchant Samuel Hermann, is beautifully preserved. The interior rooms, the wallpapers, the textiles, the furniture arrangements all speak to how domestic life was lived in this era. The guide was genuinely knowledgeable.
Don’t miss the back of the property. The service wing, outdoor kitchen, and courtyard together tell a fuller story of how these grand households actually operated with enslaved help back in the day and it’s an unsettling part of the visit.
The admission is inexpensive and the experience is memorable.
3. Spend a Morning at Longue Vue House and Gardens
Save the crown jewel for last.
Longue Vue sits in a quieter, residential part of New Orleans — removed from the French Quarter bustle — and that calm is part of what makes it so transportive. Built in the late 1930s and early 1940s for Edgar and Edith Stern, it is a magnificent neoclassical estate: eight acres of formally designed gardens surrounding a house furnished with impeccable taste and detail.
It helped that we had a very knowledgeable tour guide named, Adrian. We got there early and there were only my cousin, Billy and two others in our group with us.
Edith Stern was a collector with a remarkable eye, and every room reflects it. The house feels inhabited which is a rare quality in historic house museums. In her final years, she donated the house for the public to enjoy.
The gardens are lovely. They are formal without being stiff — a series of outdoor rooms connected by allées, multiple fountains, and hedges.
Plan to spend at least two hours, and give yourself permission to simply sit in the garden for a while with a refreshing Arnold Palmer from the cafe. Longue Vue has a way of making you forget the rest of the world’s pace.
Note: We also really loved the National World War II Museum, which far exceeded my expectations. Be sure to make it a priority.
Have you visited New Orleans with a design lens? I’d love to hear what you recommend — please leave a comment below.
You may also like Palatial Living At The Breakers in Newport, RI and Why Visiting The Biltmore In Asheville NC Is Worth It.
Spring Pasta With Chicken
It helps that the basil in our garden is thriving right now. I could have this dish once a week!
This is an easy weeknight recipe from Budget Bytes. Howard used penne pasta although the recipe calls for bowtie and asparagus instead of zucchini. It was delicious!
Comfortable Walking Shoes
We logged in lots of steps in New Orleans!! In addition to my trusty Samba sneakers...
I wore these M. Gemi Italian red leather loafers and Quince leather sandals with great arch support (I would like them in every color!). Note my favorite jeans.
My sister commented on my laptop cover (she took the photo) so I sent her one! Along with another surprise…her birthday is this week. Happy birthday, Teresa!
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Let’s see what my friends have discovered this week:
I enjoyed reading your comments on New Orleans. And thanks for sharing the pasta recipe.
Mary Ann, it’s wonderful to read reviews of New Orleans, our home away from home. My husband’s son has a weekend condo on St. Charles, where we go once a month. My husband was born deep in the Garden District, and has never seen the Hermann House in the Quarter. However, I see your street car ride was in daylight; my favorite time to ride is at night so you see the beautiful lights and sparkling chandeliers. The rest just melts away.
What’s important in New Orleans is not what you did, but where you ate. Hopefully a meal at Galatoires was included. My favorite restaurant, Patois, is a little Uptown gem. There’s so much good food.
Thanks for the recipe, we’ll have it tonight. Dot
How lucky for you to be able to go so often!! And yes we ate,,,A Lot. We were with my cousins from Donaldsonville, LA and another cousin who lives in Nola (plus another who went to law school there). Good thing we did a lot of walking too 🙂
Great photos of New Orleans – you certainly hit the highlights. Just went through dental surgery as well – all things considered it has been an easy recovery – hope you feel ok.
Perhaps you could rescue a French Bulldog – Chief seemed to be the perfect best friend for you and your family. We had Standard Poodles – pure love. Feel better!
Thanks, Stacy. I had the back molar pulled on Thursday…hopefully I will feel better by tomorrow. We had a poodle growing up…smart dogs. Chief was a Boston Terrier but he looked a little like a French Bulldog.